


Of Plumerias and Unrequited Loves

by Ao3G (orphan_account)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: AU, F/F, Hanahaki Disease, SuperCorp, Unrequited Love, angst with hopeful ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-14 17:21:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11787837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Ao3G
Summary: “The Hanahaki Disease is an illness born from one-sided love, where the patient coughs up their love’s favorite flowers or flower petals. The only cure is to have that love reciprocated, or to somehow wipe away all one’s memories of their beloved person. The infection can be removed through surgery, but the feelings disappear along with the petals, never to return again.”or the one where Lena loves Kara but Kara doesn't quite reciprocate her feelings AU





	Of Plumerias and Unrequited Loves

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I obvs don't own Supergirl

Lena Luthor hasn’t always had the best experience with love.

While Lionel Luthor always treated her warmly when they were together, he was always been preoccupied with business and was rarely at home. When he was, more often than not he would often disappear into his study. Lilian, while not abusive, also was not loving. She would often remind her of her heritage and the fact that she was adopted. She never cared for her as a mother and always favored Lex.

The only person in her family she connected to was Lex.

Lex was a kind and attentive older brother. He taught her to play chess. They went to get ice cream and donuts together when her parents were not around. He was the ideal older brother. Smart, loving and always, always made her feel welcome in their house.

Then she left for boarding school in Europe.

When she came back, their time together lessened. She understood of course. After all, Lex was preparing to take over the company when their father retired.

It didn’t make it feel less painful when Lex would blow her off for some meeting or conference.

*****

She meets Jack Spheer at a gala hosted by Lexcorp.

Jack and Lena

It was easy to fall in love with him. She and Jack shared a love for science and Lena adored his drive to try and make the world a better place. Jack reciprocated her feelings and their relationship went smoothly.

Until Lena moves to National City and they break up.

*****

When she meets Kara Danvers, Lena isn’t too impressed. She looked uneasy next to the great Clark Kent, like she wasn’t quite used to being in her own skin. Lena hands them the flashdrive to the files that they need, never intending to see them again.

Until someone tries to kill her and Supergirl comes to her rescue.

Lena isn’t stupid. In fact, she has a PhD and an MBA to show for it. She instantly connects the girl of steel to timid Kara Danvers. She doesn’t say anything about it. She knows it isn’t her secret to pry into.

When the whole fiasco is over, Kara (with Clark) comes to her office. Kara is more relaxed than in their previous meeting. Lena knows potential when she sees it and tells Kara that she would make a good reporter.

When she says ‘I hope this isn’t the last time we talk.” She means it.

And it isn’t.

Slowly but surely Kara becomes a permanent fixture in Lena’s life.

For some reason, Catco would always send Kara Danvers to interview Lena. Lena sometimes wonders if they had other reporters but is glad to see a familiar face. Kara always sounds smart and opinionated and Lena admires that she always stuck to her principles.

When Kara comes to interview her for the Alien Amnesty Act, Lena shows her her pet project. The alien detection device was a test. Lena had no plans to release it to the public. However, she wanted to know what Kara really thought about her and based on their disagreements she had been expecting Kara to lambast her in her article. It was a nice surprise to see the neutral stance Kara had taken in writing it.

When they talk about the article later on, Lena notices that Kara has taken a liking to the plumerias on her coffee table.

She briefly wonders what Kara’s mother is like.

*****

They become closer after that. They would go on weekly lunches and they would talk about L-corp’s newest technological innovations and Snapper’s snappiness. For the first time in awhile, Lena makes a new friend. Lena is grateful for Kara’s presence in her life. It made the move to National City a little bit more bearable. It had been awhile since she was able to connect with someone like that.

Lena starts coughing after the charity gala she throws for the children’s hospital. She doesn’t mind it at first. She figures its some sort of bug going around National City. It was flu season after all. Even great CEOs get sick.

*****

She sees Kara with Mike for the first time when she bumps into them on a date. She had suspected that there was something between them after she saw them dancing at the gala. However, seeing them together on that date made her chest clench and tighten.

An itch makes its way to her throat and she excuses herself in a coughing fit.

Lena covers her mouth as she makes her way to the car. When she sits down, she sees a singular white petal in her palm. Plumerias.

*****

Lena’s condition worsens over the course of the next few weeks. She coughs up more petals now. After a particularly bad coughing fit, Jess cancels her meetings for the day and books her a doctor’s appointment.

The doctor takes one look at her coughing form and the petals in her hands and tells her that she has Hanahaki Disease.

*****

“The Hanahaki Disease is an illness born from one-sided love, where the patient coughs up their love’s favorite flowers or flower petals. The only cure is to have that love reciprocated, or to somehow wipe away all one’s memories of their beloved person. The infection can be removed through surgery, but the feelings disappear along with the petals, never to return again.”

*****

Lena gets an X-ray to see the extent of the damage in her lungs.

The disease was in its early stages, however, Lena would have to either get an operation within the year or have her love reciprocated. If she opted to do surgery, the doctor advised her to do it as soon as possible as to minimize the extent of her injuries.

*****

The next time Kara Danvers saves her, Lena fills her office with plumerias.

*****

Kara and Mike have a falling out. Lena doesn’t really know the details but it was along the lines of Mike being too controlling and lying to Kara. Kara and Lena do bi-weekly lunches. Kara has more free time now that she was no longer dating Mike.

They start talking about deeper things, about Kara’s family and Lena’s mother and Lex. They bond over familial disappointments and somehow Lena feels that no one else can quite understand her on the level that Kara can.

Her condition worsens. The next time she goes for a check-up the doctor tells her to that the disease progressed more rapidly and she needed to get a surgery as soon as possible.

Still, Lena tries to delay the inevitable.

*****

After one movie night, Kara finds out about her condition. Lena couldn’t stop coughing up petals and the occasional full flower. Lena has to explain her condition – her disease and her unrequited love who she does not name.

She tells Kara about her prognosis, how she must have her surgery soon. How taking out the flowers would make her unable to love the person ever again. She tells her about the other alternative is reciprocation of her love. Lena laments that the second option was unlikely and has her surgery scheduled in 5 weeks later.

Later on Kara mentions that plumerias and plumeria petals on the floor were pretty.

“Yeah. They are aren’t they? They’re her favorite flower.”

*****

Two weeks before her surgery, Kara confronts her at L-corp.

“Plumerias are my favorite flower.”

Lena nods.

“Me?”

Lena doesn’t say anything, but Kara understands her silence as a yes.

Kara doesn’t talk to her for a week. Lena’s chest feels like its on fire.

*****

Kara invites her out to dinner, one Monday evening.

Lena brings over some plumerias and hands them to Kara.

They talk over dinner like nothing has changed. They skirt around the topic until Lena doubles over, wheezing and a few plumeria petals escape. When Lena sees Kara’s worried expression, she says,

“Don’t worry. I’m having my surgery next week.”

Kara looks surprised and is a bit hesitant when she says, “About that… I was thinking about it and maybe… Do you, maybe, want to try going out? With me? I mean, like on a date?”

The tight clench at Lena’s chest finally eases.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer 2.0: I wrote this for my gf and I don't really ship supercorp so idk if the characters were spot on. My apologies for out of characterness and stuffs.
> 
> Also references: I took the definition from here: https://cypherptwhat.wordpress.com/2015/03/28/13-hanahaki-disease/


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